New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans a $19.5 billion outlay in his final six months in office to ensure the city never again has to suffer the devastating effects of a major hurricane.
The money, from city and federal coffers, will go toward the construction of flood walls, levees and dunes, The New York Post reported. Portions of the taxpayer-funded pot will also elevate a whole community that’s located along the East River, The Post said.
The mayor also wants to spend big — to the tune of $3.7 billion — to create 37 different coastal-protection defense systems for various neighborhoods, including a storm barrier on the border of Brooklyn and Queens, The Post reported. That particular area was hit hard by Superstorm Sandy flood waters.
“A surge barrier at the mouth of Newtown Creek would dramatically reduce storm flooding in these neighborhoods,” a spokesman for the mayor’s office said, in The Post report.
He also wants to erect 15- to 20-foot levees around parts of Staten Island, a project that would cost about $400 million, The Post said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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